


Rocked You Like a Hurricane

by GutterBall



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Chuck is secretly sweet, Cussing, Fluff and Smut, Life-Affirming Sex, M/M, Raleigh thinks too much, followed by ridiculous schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 17:25:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11295276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GutterBall/pseuds/GutterBall
Summary: Chuck knocks on Raleigh's door after a nightmare, needing to feel alive. Raleigh -- because he's lonelier than he'll ever admit and has caught himself staring at dat ass one too many times -- agrees. It doesn't mean anything, after all. Just doing his not-friend-but-not-enemy a solid.Spoiler alert: it means something. It meanseverything.





	Rocked You Like a Hurricane

**Author's Note:**

  * For [estei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/estei/gifts).



> This fic is birthday smut for estei-feist. Well, it started as birthday smut and morphed into cuddly fluff, because these guys are assholes like that. Heh.
> 
> Anyway, happy (late) birthday for my dear, dear friend. I'm so glad we met and so glad we're friends. *hugs*

"Ray. Thank God you're up. We gotta have sex."

Okay. Of all the things Raleigh expected -- another Breach opened, the kaiju were back, etc. -- when dragging himself up from only the thinnest layer of sleep to answer the pounding on his door, Chuck Hansen in nothing but his boxer briefs demanding to be fucked wasn't even on the list.

But the longer he stared, the more agitated the big jerk became.

"Jesus, mate, don't just stand there. Are you down or not?"

He was still asleep. It was the only possible explanation. Admittedly, the details were impressively lucid. Chuck's hair was in corkscrews, as if he'd run his hands through it repeatedly, then pulled a few times, just to be sure. And seriously. Nothing but boxer briefs. Not even socks.

Huffing an irritated grunt -- that, at least, was the Chuck he sort of knew -- the kid apparently gave up on restraint and barged forward into Raleigh's bunk. Raleigh backed away, eyes wide, but his room really wasn't that big, and he quickly fetched up against the desk. Worse, Chuck kept striding, reached out, then shut his eyes and _opened his mouth._

This was happening. This was happening?

"Jesus Christ, Chuck!" Dodging, he juked away from the possibly sleep-walking jerk and backed up against the closet. "What the fuck? Are you even gay?"

Okay, so maybe this wasn't the time to be having The Conversation with someone who would still probably piss on him whether he was on fire or not, but what the hell else was there? If he'd been a second slower, Chuck would've mouth-attacked him.

Fists clenched, the kid -- because sometimes, the big jerk still acted like a kid, and Raleigh wasn't sure if this was one of them -- advanced again, though he stopped just shy of arm's reach.

"No, and I don't give a shit. I just... fuck." And there went a hand through the mess of hair, including a tug that pulled up another corkscrew. "Are we fucking or not?"

Raleigh blinked, hands up almost defensively. "...No?"

But at that, Chuck jerked his head to the side, jaw clenching. "Not your type, asshole?"

Gritting his teeth, he tried not to take the bait. "Tell me what the hell is happening right now."

It earned him a glare from icy eyes, but since Raleigh really was confused as hell and completely incapable of hiding it, the kid finally stood down a bit.

"Nightmare. I died. In Pitfall." Quiet now, though still a little wild around the eyes, Chuck shrugged awkwardly. "Just feel... cold. Numb. Like I really--" Swallowing hard, he shrugged again, just as awkwardly. "Fucking hate that feeling."

Okay. Some context, at least.

"So... you want to have sex... to make sure you're really alive?"

"I swear to God, Ray, if you laugh at me right now--"

"No, no!" The hands went right back up, just in case. "I'm not laughing. I just... me?" He couldn't help the incredulity in his tone. "Why? Didn't you just say you're not gay?"

"Also said I don't fucking care, didn't I? I just need a fuck, all right? And if you think Mori wouldn't level me for asking, you didn't get a goddamn thing from the Drift."

"But surely--"

Frustrated again, the jerk dragged another hand through his poor, tortured hair. "Fuck, mate, there isn't anyone else, yeah? Everyone's paired off or off-limits or straight."

And Raleigh was bi, though he hadn't made a big deal of it for fear of bad press. But... how did Chuck know--

Right. Manila. If Herc knew, Chuck knew. Fuck.

"Or they fucking hate me, so they can go fuck themselves."

Well. At least the big jerk knew Raleigh didn't hate him. Didn't necessarily like him, but didn't hate him.

Progress?

He opened his mouth to keep asking questions, but the kid's shoulders went up defensively, so he sighed instead and considered the only question that mattered. Because he knew the feeling. He'd awakened too many times from dreams where he'd died instead of Yancy, and while most of the time, he wished it had gone that way, those dreams left him feeling... cold. Numb. In need of something to prove he hadn't died damn near six years ago now.

So.

"You sure about this?" When Chuck only looked confused and wary, Raleigh shrugged. "Just... not sure you're in the right frame of mind to make this kind of decision. I don't want you feeling like I took advantage later."

Because the last thing they needed was another fight. The first one had been cut short, but they were well on the way to actual injury before Pentecost and Herc intervened. God help them both if they managed to find an out of-the-way place to settle their differences until someone stayed down.

Thankfully, Chuck scoffed. "I'm the one asking, yeah? How the fuck would that be _you_ taking advantage?"

_Because you're in a bad place right now and just admitted you're straight but too desperate to feel alive to care._

But he couldn't say that out loud. Unfortunately, that only left one thing to say, and he couldn't really believe the word was about to leave his mouth.

"Okay."

Ginger eyebrows rose as the kid brightened, those broad shoulders drooping in relief. "Yeah?"

"I mean... if you're really sure?"

One last chance. One last open door the kid could walk right out of if this was all just a middle of the night brain fart.

Though... Raleigh'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about it. The kid was monumentally stacked for all that he was a certified asshole. He'd watched that ass striding away on several occasions, both relieved to see the kid go and happy as hell to watch him leave.

But he’d never really considered--

But the kid nodded, looking weirdly solemn for all that he still looked relieved, so Raleigh sighed again and nodded, too.

"Nothing you don't want, though, okay? If it... feels weird...?"

Because Chuck might well say he needed to fuck to feel alive, but that didn't mean he knew a damn thing about gay sex. In fact, it might be safer for both of them if they just traded handjobs or something equally heteronormative, then never looked each other in the eye again.

"Fuck that, Ray." Suddenly, the kid strode forward again, all the intensity from earlier coiled back into that broad frame. "I need to feel something warm."

That was... nice? Maybe? Or just sad?

Didn't matter either way. This time, Raleigh didn't dodge away, and the kiss was open-mouthed and full of tongues from the start. Chuck kissed like he fought -- at least like he'd fought Raleigh, all swinging away and to hell with the consequences. So full of both "fuck you" and "fight me" that they had apparently merged into an enthusiastic "fuck me" for which Raleigh was suddenly and fully on board.

This was _definitely_ happening.

Since Chuck was already down to his boxer briefs, all it took was a toss of Raleigh's t-shirt and pajama pants for them to be skin to skin almost everywhere, and Raleigh lost no time in running his hands over as much of that heavy muscle as was bared, though he kept it above the waist for now. Hell yes, he'd considered it. Once the jerk had opened that taunting, obnoxious mouth, he'd quickly discounted it, but the initial appreciation had been there.

But none of that mattered now because, for all that Chuck seemed a bit shy of stroking and was content to just clutch at Raleigh's back for dear life, the kid definitely wasn't pulling away, and the intensity of the kiss didn't fade. If anything, after a quiet, desperate noise, Chuck pressed closer still. It would've been nice indeed, but Raleigh couldn't help but notice a certain lack.

Namely, the lack of an erection in the kid's shorts.

For all that intensity and hard grip, Chuck wasn't into it. His dick was as soft as a wad of bread dough, where Raleigh's had already taken appreciative notice.

Not good. If the kid wasn't into it, it really _would_ be taking advantage, whether Chuck said he wanted it or not.

Huffing his own soft, desperate noise, Raleigh pulled away from that hot, intense mouth -- then pulled away again because Chuck was determined for all that he wasn't at all turned on -- and sighed.

"Look, Chuck, I'm glad you thought of me for--"

"Don't." Another hard, determined kiss. "Give it a bit, yeah? I just... I _need_ it, mate."

As if to prove the point, the kid let go with one hand to reach down, shove his underwear down to his thighs, and stroke himself. Unfortunately, desperate as he was, his grip was too tight, and the poor bastard winced into the next kiss. Sighing again, Raleigh reached down and gently touched the clenched fist until it loosened, then carefully pushed it away. When he took the soft flesh into his own hand, it was Chuck's turn to sigh, right into his mouth, some of the intensity and tension going out of him.

"If you want me to stop--"

"I don't."

"Okay."

So, as gently as he'd handle a newborn puppy, he moved his hand, relieved when Chuck's cock finally gave an interested twitch and started to firm up. At least he wasn't repulsed by a man's touch. Some straight guys were, though Raleigh didn't have a lot of experience there. His experiences with men had been with enthusiastically, unquestionably gay or bisexual ones. As far as he knew, he'd never so much as hit on a straight guy before.

But Chuck had stopped kissing him to lean their foreheads together, his breath warm on Raleigh's face, and the dick in his hand slowly but surely swelled with each stroke, and there was clearly a first time for everything.

"Better?"

Shivering, the poor kid nodded. "Your hand’s warm."

Melting a little more, he tilted his head just enough for a light kiss, then another. Chuck wanted to feel warm. Raleigh was pretty sure he could do that for him, so long as he kept responding positively. He just needed to pay attention and make sure he wasn't freaking the kid out any time he did something different.

"Bed?"

Chuck's forehead rocked against his as he nodded, then shucked off his boxer briefs entirely on the first backstep. He eventually stopped, likely when his knees backed into edge of the mattress, but Raleigh was too busy with surprisingly soft kisses and marvelling at exactly how much of a grower Chuck was to notice until the big jerk quickly shucked off Raleigh's shorts, too. Somehow, he even managed to do it without catching on the erection that had been on alert pretty much since the first kiss.

Snickering a bit, Raleigh stopped the kisses -- but not the stroking -- enough to look the kid in the eye. Well, he tried, but Chuck's eyes were closed, a flush over his cheeks and the freckles on his nose, ginger eyelashes fluttering against pale blush skin. Beautiful, really, though he doubted the big jerk would appreciate the sentiment.

Sighing and -- just to see if he could get away with it -- nuzzling their noses together, he hmmed softly. "Me first or you first?"

Translation: _are you okay with having a man on top of you, or do you need to be unquestionably in control?_

Whether Chuck understood or not, he wrapped his arms around Raleigh's waist -- which was a shame, considering those hard hands had been creeping slowly down toward his ass, and that could've been really interesting -- and twisted to lie on his back, bringing Raleigh down with him. Surprised but not complaining even as he let go of Chuck's cock to brace himself, he shifted until he was comfortable and tried not to actively grind his aching dick against the poor kid's groin just yet. It was more of a struggle than he expected.

Fuck, this kid was built. Just the right amount of fuzz on the chest and abs. Broader at the waist than him but tight and strong in every line. Goddamn gorgeous, now that he had a weird, naked moment to fully appreciate. And so, so many freckles.

But just in case--

"Still okay?"

Hard arms tightened around him, one around his waist and one around his shoulders, and Chuck, bless his prickly heart, buried his face in Raleigh's neck. "So fucking warm, mate."

Ah. Right. If it was a compliment, he'd by-God take it.

Thus, he just lay quietly over that big body for a while, running his fingers through messy ginger hair and pressing his cheek to Chuck's temple. Comfort, he could do. Since none of this would probably be happening if the kid weren't already in a bad place, he'd wait for Chuck to cue him in to what he needed. He definitely didn't want to push anything on someone who just needed to stop feeling like a walking corpse.

Okay, not the sexiest thought to have with a naked man clinging to him in a bed.

Eventually, Chuck sighed. "Ray, could you...?"

To his surprise, he'd almost fallen asleep, which was the last thing he'd expected when a near-naked Chuck had knocked on his door and demanded life-affirming sex. But the kid was strong and warm and wrapped around him, and the hair he still ran his fingers through was soft and fine, and he'd just sort of zoned out in cozy bliss.

Thus, his "Mm?" was more fuzz than utterance.

Instead of answering, Chuck arched his groin up a bit, reminding Raleigh that he'd been doing something before they crawled into the sack. Blushing and glad the brat still had his face tucked against Raleigh's neck, he obligingly reached between them and marvelled at how quickly Chuck's cock hardened for him this time around. That big body tightened, brawny arms squeezing just this side of painfully, so he turned his head enough to brush his lips over the warm skin of Chuck's temple.

"Better?"

A soft, strangely helpless sound escaped against his neck. "Yeah. More, maybe?"

He grinned. He couldn't help it. "More like what?"

Grunting, that big body suddenly gave a heave and a twist, and just like that, Raleigh was on his back and blinking up at Chuck, whose jaw was clenched with determination.

"More like can I fuck you?"

Oh. Not that he objected in general terms, just... that wasn't an "I'm unbearably turned on and I need you, baby" look on the kid's steadily reddening face. Though a slow grind of his hips proved that Chuck wasn't exactly averse to the idea of fucking the has-been. The erection he'd coaxed up was very much present and accounted for. And girthy. God, it had been so long since he'd felt—

But this wasn't about him. It was about Chuck.

Something of his thought process must have shown on his face because the kid's severe expression softened, and he leaned down for a kiss that Raleigh returned readily enough. Without pulling away entirely, Chuck sighed.

"I want to, all right? Don't be so goddamn over-protective."

Was that what he was doing? And if so... why? Chuck was a grown-up, for all that he was only twenty-one. If the big jerk could save the world by volunteering to blow up with his jaeger, he could suddenly decide to fuck his male rival even though he wasn't even bi-curious, apparently.

So, giving in entirely, Raleigh leaned up for a quick kiss, then twisted enough to reach back to his desk's drawers. "I don't have any condoms. Medical checked me out as clean when I came back, though. Is that okay?"

"Fuck if I care." Eloquent as always. "So long as you have lube, I'm down."

Raising an eyebrow as he lay back down with the standard-issue-from-central-supply bottle of lube -- yes, he'd opened it; he wasn't _dead,_ no matter how many times he'd wanted to be -- in hand, he waited.

"Jesus, yes, I'm clean. They did every test known to man after Pitfall, yeah?"

Oh. Right. Snorting, he offered the bottle, but Chuck just blushed -- it was goddamn adorable -- and cleared his throat, suddenly unable to meet Raleigh's eyes.

Oh. Right.

Rolling his eyes, he popped the cap.

"Don't gimme that goddamn look." Fidget fidget. Which made for some interesting friction between them. "I get the general idea, yeah? Just... don't wanna fuck it up and hurt you."

"Aw, Chuck."

Squirming again -- God, it had been so long since he'd had someone so heavily muscled moving against him like this -- the adorable brat grunted. "Shut up."

Smirking, he leaned up and tried the bedroom eyes that multiple partners had assured him were devastating. "Make me."

Chuck, however, seemed immune and only closed his eyes and shook his head. "You are such an asshole."

He didn't bother to pout since the jerk wasn't looking. "Just asking for a kiss."

Because cold lube wasn't the most comfortable sensation in the world, and it had been a while since he’d worked himself open, and a distraction wouldn't go amiss. But he didn't want to say all that.

Luckily, Chuck didn't make him. "Fine. Asshole."

But the kiss was much sweeter than the words, and even as the kid shifted aside enough to give Raleigh's hand some room to work, he didn't hesitate to lean that hard, heavy muscle against him while they kissed.

That first slick, cool touch was still a little uncomfortable, but it really had been too long since he'd had any action. A few strokes around the puckered skin felt like his whole body coming to life, which was pathetic but currently handy.

Hmming softly, he resisted the urge to grind against Chuck's thigh, not sure how eager the kid would be to feel another man's erection, but his aching cock thrummed and hardened further when he slipped the first finger inside. God, it felt good, and he moaned in his throat as he thrust a few times, reveling in the near-forgotten sensation and anticipating more.

Chuck's hand came up to cup his jaw, the kiss deepening as that beautiful body leaned more heavily against his own. Chuck, of course, felt no compunction against grinding on Raleigh's hip, and the feeling of that thick erection left him almost lightheaded with the need to return the gesture.

Instead, he added another finger. It stung a bit because he was in a hurry, but not enough to slow him down. Another moan shivered out of him, and Chuck pressed closer still, swallowing it down and groaning softly. Thank God for that, because it meant the kid was finally, actually turned on, not just responding to physical stimulation.

So, since his moans seemed to have a positive effect, Raleigh went straight for his prostate to make a few more. The first stroke arched him off the bed, the sensation a warm, rolling buzz all through him, and he threw his head back with the bliss of it. God, he loved that feeling. It had been so long he could almost come just from this.

Unfortunately, Chuck had gone quiet and still above him, so when the bliss retreated a bit, he made himself look at the kid, just to be sure he was still on board.

Wide eyes stared at the hand between Raleigh's legs, Chuck's mouth open a bit, cheeks flushed and lips red. He was pretty sure that wasn't a bad look, but he spread his fingers apart as he pulled them out, then thrust them back in again, watching carefully just to make sure.

Chuck's breath hitched. "Jesus, that is way hotter than it should be."

Not sure if it was a compliment or not, he hesitated. "Really?"

"What's it feel like?"

Curiosity, he could handle, especially when one of those big, hard hands slid down his flank and settled on his thigh, then nudged it a little further out. If Chuck wanted a show, he'd by God get one.

Stroking his fingers slowly in, he deliberately gave his prostate a languid touch that curled his toes and brought another moan from deep in his throat. "Full, mostly. A stretch if you go too fast." Another stroke, this time circling the little bundle of nerves and making them sing. "Fuck, like a slow roll of thunder all the way through you when you hit the right spot."

"Jesus." The heavy hand on his thigh tightened. "Never fingered myself before, but it looks fucking amazing."

Warmth washed through him, and it had nothing to do with his prostate. That was as close as Chuck would probably ever come to saying Raleigh was sexy, and damn if it didn't make everything that much better. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter because this was a one-shot deal and they'd probably never even speak again afterward, but... damn.

Biting at his lower lip, he slid in another finger and whimpered a bit at the stretch of it. Yes, he was rushing, which was a bad idea given how long it had been and how big that beautiful cock was, but he wanted to hold onto that warm, appreciated feeling as long as he could, and that meant getting Chuck inside him as soon as possible.

It didn't help that the kid couldn't seem to look away, his breath speeding up every time Raleigh's hips jumped from another stroke over his prostate. When Chuck abandoned his grip on Raleigh's thigh to stroke his own cock, Raleigh threw caution to the wind. Enough was enough.

Thank God, but he didn't have to actually beg his formal rival to fuck him. The second he removed his fingers, Chuck pulled himself over him, thrusting eagerly against Raleigh's hip. Shuddering, Raleigh stroked his slicked hand over that glorious cock, then arched up and guided it to him. It should've been awkward as hell, but while this was Chuck's first time with a man, it clearly wasn't his first time _ever_.

Jesus. The stretch was... fuck, maybe too much, but Raleigh did not care an iota. Letting out a noise somewhere between a grunt and a moan, he leaned up for a kiss Chuck was too jaw-dropped to return at first. He soon got with the program, though, and with hard kisses and slow but steady pressure, that beautiful, perfect cock was all the way in, all that heavy, solid muscle weight behind it, and Raleigh couldn't fucking breathe because it felt so goddamn good.

Blanketed with heat and so fucking filled and with Chuck's hands finally stroking at his neck, his chest, his arms, he was pretty sure that this was a night he'd remember for the rest of his life, even if they never spoke of it again. Right now, he was perfectly willing to forget how many times Chuck had called him a bitch and a has-been. That obnoxious mouth was suddenly sweeter than honey, and Raleigh couldn't get enough.

And the big jerk hadn't even moved yet.

"Fuck, mate." Another kiss. "So fucking hot inside." Another. "So goddamn _tight."_ Another. "Jesus, Raleigh, feels so good...."

God, did it ever. Moaning directly into Chuck's mouth, he arched his hips, wanting more.

"Don't--" That big body shuddered. "If I move, I'll come."

He cheated. He _whimpered._

With a curse, Chuck drew back and gasped. "Jesus Christ, Raleigh, you feel so--"

It wasn't even much of a thrust, but it still tore through both of them like a summer storm, and all hell broke loose. Giving up on words entirely, Chuck pulled back and thrust in earnest, that big body working for every one. And Raleigh....

Jesus, if he'd ever had a vocabulary, Chuck drove it right out of his head. It was the most dedicated fucking he'd had in years, maybe ever, and all he could do was hold on for dear life and try not to lose his mind as the goddamn Australian sex god somehow managed to roll over his prostate on every perfect thrust like he wasn't even trying. It was too much sensation, too hard and too fast, and he would weep if it ever ended even as he needed to come right fucking now.

Far too soon, Chuck let out an oddly anguished cry and began to thrust harder still. Before Raleigh could even think about protesting him coming so quickly, Chuck reached between them and took his poor, neglected cock in hand, and two strokes was all it took. That the kid would willingly touch him there--

And then Chuck was coming, too, locking up and looking like a fucking work of art in his ecstasy, and if Raleigh were capable of coming again so soon, he'd have done it just watching. Jesus, he wished--

No. He couldn't think that way.

Besides, he'd just come like the Judgment, and Chuck gave another jerk of his hips before stilling entirely, and this was no time for thinking when feeling was so goddamn good.

Even better when Chuck slumped, then lay over him entirely, burying his face in Raleigh's neck and wrapping him up in those hard, strong arms. In a million years, Raleigh would have never dreamed that Chuck Hansen, of all people, would be holding him so sweetly after fucking him within an inch of his life. At the moment, he wouldn't trade it for the world and did his best to return the embrace with the same amount of afterglow and not an ounce more.

Tomorrow would work itself out. For now, he wanted to cuddle as long as his old rival was willing. It couldn't possibly last, and he wanted to damn well enjoy it.

After a quiet, comfortable eternity, Chuck inhaled deeply and turned his face further into Raleigh's neck.

"Thanks, mate."

He grinned a little and stroked that broad back. "Feel better?"

A nod. "Feel _alive."_

Jesus. This kid.

"Good."

He had no intention of even hinting that he wanted Chuck to leave, so he just stroked his hands over damp satin skin, idly wondering how many freckles dotted the expanse, enjoying the quiet moment to its fullest. Unfortunately, no matter how much he would love to feel that perfect cock all full and heavy inside him all night, biology didn't work that way, and after a while, it slipped out with an unpleasant squelch that he hadn't missed but didn't exactly mind.

Chuck, on the other hand, let out a distinctly disappointed noise and shoved up onto one elbow. "Didn't want to get up just yet."

Refusing to let it be awkward, he grinned and shrugged. "Won't take a minute to get cleaned up."

He also refused to get his hopes up.

Thankfully, the kid brightened. "You don't mind if I stay a bit longer?"

Okay, that level of relief was not proportionate to the situation. He needed to get his shit in check. This was not a prologue but a simple short story. Over and done. The best he could reasonably hope for was that maybe they could be friends now, providing they didn't get weird about having had sex.

So he only shrugged again, resisting the urge to run a hand down and grip that beautiful ass, just in case he never had another chance. He hadn't even touched it yet, dammit.

"Honestly, I feel too good right now to even think about kicking you out."

Chuck rolled his eyes, but the mood shifted enough that they could haul up out of the bed without being awkward or getting pissy. Wrinkling his nose, Raleigh gestured toward the bathroom, half-ass asking if it was okay for him to go first, and Chuck waved him away with a smirk that somehow wasn't smug.

As promising as the seeming ease between them was, he didn't dare push his luck. He took perhaps the shortest post-coital shower of his life, hoping he wasn't giving the kid enough time to really think about what they'd done and maybe decide he hadn't wanted it after all. There was only so much he could do about the slick feeling inside, but he did his best, dried off on the run, scruffed the towel through his hair and... abruptly realized he hadn't brought any clothes with him.

Would Chuck run if he...?

No way around it. He'd just wrap the towel around the pertinent parts and wait for Chuck to hit the head, then put his pajamas back on while he was out of the room. It was the best he could do.

Of course, when he stepped through the steam and into his much-cooler main room, he acknowledged that he was probably over-thinking again. After all, Chuck stood at his bedside, naked as a bear, his arms crossed as he stared intently at the photos Raleigh had stuck to the wall. Modesty was apparently not an issue between them at the moment.

Relieved -- and unable to _not_ look at an ass that naked and spectacular -- he shook his head at himself. "It's all yours."

"Did you take all these?"

Interest? From Chuck?

"Some of them. Yancy was the real photographer. All the good ones are his."

The kid shot him an unimpressed look. "Nice, Ray. Real nice."

Aaaaannnnd back to Ray. Just like that.

That said, Chuck gave his ass a slap as he walked by, so maybe the terrible nickname was almost an endearment at this point. He didn't dare examine it too closely, though, and as soon as the kid shut the bathroom door behind him, Raleigh hurried into his t-shirt and pajama pants and decided to change the sheets. They weren't filthy, by any stretch, but he hadn't slept in a wet spot in years and had no intention of doing so now.

Thus, he was laid back and comfy on clean sheets when Chuck strolled his naked ass back into the room and, without a visible qualm, crawled over Raleigh and fell into place between him and the wall, then cuddled up to his side.

Suspicious now, he hesitantly slipped an arm under the bulk to avoid it being crushed up against him for God knew how long. Squirming even closer and wrapping an arm around his waist, Chuck hmmed quietly and and lay his cheek on Raleigh's shoulder.

Even more suspicious.

Apparently sensing that Raleigh wasn't quite sure about this new, snuggly Chuck, the kid stilled. "I'll just... until you fall asleep? Is that okay?"

Ugh. This fucking kid.

Deeming it safe to wrap his now-trapped arm up and around those broad shoulders, he let himself relax a little. "You know that could take all night, right?"

Because, for all that they barely exchanged a civil word, everybody and their grandmother knew that Raleigh Becket had the devil's own time both getting to sleep and staying asleep for any length of time. He'd showed up to breakfast looking like a sad, waifish zombie too many times.

But Chuck just settled again, his cheek moving against Raleigh's chest in what could only be a grin. "I got nowhere else to be, yeah?"

Grinning, although the kid would very likely either get bored and leave after an hour or so or fall asleep from the enthusiastic sex, Raleigh stroked warm, satiny skin and closed his eyes. No way would he sleep with so much on his mind, including the oddity of a body in his bed after so many years on his own, but he could enjoy the weight of a man lying against him and the quiet surprise that it was Chuck.

So thinking, he drifted almost immediately off to sleep.

\--

The bed was empty when he woke up. He saw neither hide nor hair of Chuck Hansen for three days.

\--

Reading in bed was a pleasure from his youth that Raleigh had rediscovered in his loneliness those five long, awful years between Knifehead and Hong Kong. He'd read his own few books to tatters, so when Mako nearly squealed at the idea of visiting a bookstore that had survived their rampage and loading up on new material, he'd taken it up again with all new stock.

Thus, he didn't look up at the first knock on his door. Mako always knocked as a courtesy, though he'd given her blanket permission to come and go as she pleased, so if it was her, she'd come in on her own.

He did, however, look up at the second knock. Frowning, he marked his page with an old tarot card -- Death, of course, to remind him that everything changes and that's not always a bad thing -- and put the book aside. Sighing, he rolled out of bed and scruffed a hand through his hair where he was pretty sure it was sticking up from the pillow.

Suddenly, there was Chuck.

Three. Whole. Days.

He wasn't sure what expression was on his face, but it clearly wasn't as neutral as he'd hoped, given Chuck's hard swallow and look down at his own boots.

"Ray."

"Chuck."

Silence. He'd hoped they could avoid making it awkward, but here they were. He refused to feel bad about it, considering it was Chuck who had scarpered off and avoided him. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised. They'd hardly been friends before. No reason to think a quick fuck after a bad nightmare would change anything between them.

Not that he’d been telling himself that repeatedly for three straight days.

"Can I come in?"

His mouth blurted before he could rethink the words. "Another nightmare?"

The kid winced. But didn't protest the shot. Interesting.

"No. I just... wanted to talk to you. Won't take a second."

Okay. The big jerk was being civil, so it was probably okay to go along for a while. Standing down, he stepped aside, opening the door further in silent invitation. Chuck gave a single nod and strode in, looking almost as determined as the other night, though not as wild-eyed as he'd been at first.

"Door open or door closed?"

Stopping in the middle of the room, the kid fidgeted, then turned and gave him a weirdly stoic look. "Closed is probably best."

Raleigh didn't argue. Just closed the door and waited.

After an excruciatingly awkward moment, Chuck finally spoke. "So I've been thinking about it, and I think I might be bisexual."

His eyebrows shot up, and he crossed his arms and leaned back against the reassuring solidity of the door. He wasn't sure he wouldn't fall down, otherwise.

"Can't _stop_ thinking about it, really." Fidgeting, the kid shrugged. "Didn't feel like just a fuck, y'know? I've had plenty of those, and this wasn't that. Didn't know what to do with it, though, because I've never once had reason to question my sexuality. All that time at the academy, and I never caught myself looking about in the showers or being too appreciative watching a spar or whatever."

It was like an onslaught of Chuck's thought process over the past three days, pouring out of him in a torrent, and Raleigh couldn't have interrupted if he'd wanted to. He was too gobsmacked by the original statement to be able to process any of the rest.

"But I rather lied when I said there wasn't anybody else. I mean, it's not like the shatterdome is empty, yeah? But I woke up from that stupid fucking nightmare and tried a wank in hopes of feeling better, but I just felt even worse. So I tried to think who'd be up for a good, hard fuck, and you popped in there. And I couldn't think of a reason not to, yeah? Might shoulda been my first clue."

Still stuck on "I think I might be bisexual", Raleigh could only blink. This was perhaps more than Chuck had spoken to him the entire time they'd known each other, all at once.

"So I knocked on your door and you looked like you knew exactly how I felt and then you said yes, and Jesus Christ, mate, but you fucking wrecked me."

He couldn't deal with the look on the kid's face.

"I was the one doing the fucking, but you still knocked me on my ass, and when I didn't want to let go afterward, I told myself it was just because you were a good mate and had sorted me out, and I owed you the courtesy of not just walking away like it didn't mean anything."

_Do not get your hopes up. Do not get your hopes up._

"I must've watched you sleep for hours, Raleigh. You looked like a fucking angel, and you had this little smile on your face, and I thought about all the times you've dragged into the caf looking like you haven't goddamn slept since your brother died, and I thought to myself, 'I did that. I gave him that, put that fucking smile on his face', and I couldn't look away."

_Goddammit, Chuck._

"And I caught myself wondering if you'd still be smiling in the morning, and that brought me up short, mate. Because that's not a 'my friend just did me a solid' thought, yeah? That's an 'I wanna wake up to this fucking face again' thought, and I'm fucking straight. And I'm not, like, militant about it, but it's never even been an issue, so I didn't know what to think. So I left." Those bright eyes bored into Raleigh's, intent and demanding his full attention. "I'm sorry for that. I shouldn't have."

Oh. Shit. He should probably say something in the sudden gap, but when he opened his mouth, his mind was completely blank. So, while it wasn't ideal, he shrugged.

Chuck sighed. "I didn't mean to... be so long about it. Thought I'd wake up and it'd be all sorted in my mind. Everything back in perspective, yeah? But it wasn't. I rolled over and felt like shit because you weren't there to roll over onto. And I felt like a fucking millionaire, but that only made me feel worse because I didn't dare even check on you to make sure I hadn't hurt you. I went _so_ _hard,_ mate. It damn well _had_ to...."

And it had. Nothing he couldn't live with, and nothing he hadn't wanted to do again if the opportunity presented itself, but he'd definitely felt it. All that day and most of the next.

"And then I felt like a fucking coward for not being able to face you, and then it had been damn near two days and I knew you had to either be pissed at me or feeling used, and I never wanted you to feel that way, yeah? You were... Jesus, mate, you treated me like a king, and I fucked off without a word."

He couldn't help it. Even through his mental funk, he just couldn't goddamn help it. Chuck Hansen being earnest was adorable as fuck, and Raleigh had been a goner long before he even knew he was in danger.

"Just... I don't... I won't blame you if you're pissed at me, mate, but... if you're ever _not_ pissed at me again, I think I might want to... try it on with you. See if we can make it work. Because I can't stop thinking about how you looked when you came, and I never even thought about touching another man's dick but I really wanna get my hand on yours again because I love the noises you make, and you're warm and comfortable as fuck to cuddle with, and Jesus, please shut me up, mate, because I'm making a goddamn fool out of myself and fuck it, I'll just go because this is--"

"Chuck."

He didn't yell, but the poor, rambling bastard stopped as if he had, shamefaced and staring at his boots with his cheeks and ears practically on fire.

"Yes."

Chuck's head jerked up, his eye wide. "Eh?"

"I'm not mad."

The kid's mouth worked, astonishment written all over his face. It was goddamn adorable.

"I was... disappointed, yeah, but... I told myself you were straight, so it probably wasn't personal. We never really saw much of each other before, so why should anything change just because you needed some comfort one night?" He shrugged, a crooked grin pulling at his mouth. "Doesn't mean I didn't want it to, though."

After another moment of gobsmack, Chuck blinked. "You're not mad?"

"No."

Gesturing between them, the big jerk took a step closer. "And we can try...?"

"Yes."

Moving slowly, as if he thought Raleigh would change his mind, Chuck closed the distance between them, then hesitantly reached out and tweezed the t-shirt fabric over Raleigh's stomach. It was an oddly delicate gesture, like he wanted to touch but wasn't sure if he was allowed yet.

Fucking. Adorable. Brat.

"You're really not mad?"

Leaning in enough for the kid's knuckles to brush his stomach, he shook his head. "I'm really not mad."

Ah, dammit, now the kid brought out the dimples. They were too rare to have built up a resistance to. Hell, Raleigh could probably count how many times he'd seen them on one hand without using all the fingers.

"You doing anything for the rest of the evening?"

He raised one eyebrow. "Just reading in bed. You?"

He really shouldn't try to predict anything Chuck Hansen would do or say. After all the talk about how he looked when he came and how much the kid wanted to get a hand on his dick again, he expected waggling eyebrows and maybe to be tackled onto the bed. He wouldn't protest, of course, but for a moment there, he'd hoped it wouldn't just be sex between them.

His surprise was complete, then, when the kid brightened like the kid he sometimes still was. "Sounds perfect. Mind if I go get a book and join you?"

He blinked. Would he mind? Jesus, this fucking guy.

"No. That'd... be nice, actually."

"Bonzer."

The hesitation was just long enough that Raleigh noticed it before Chuck leaned in and pressed the most chaste, innocent kiss on his lips before pulling away, blushing like a fire engine again.

"Be right back. Might change into tracky dacks, if that's okay?"

Out of nowhere, the grin was back. "I have no idea what tracky dacks are."

Aaaaannnnd there was the famous Chuck Hansen smirk. "I can see I'll have to teach you how to speak Australian."

His grin slewed off to one side, crooked all over again. "I dunno. I kinda like the mystery. Will you come back in pajamas? In fishnets? Hammer pants?"

"What the fuck are Hammer pants?"

"I notice you're not asking what fishnets are."

"You are such an asshole." Another quick kiss said otherwise. "Get your ass back in that bed." And there was the swat on the ass that had been such a relief three nights ago and was a pleasant surprise now. "I'll swing by the caf on the way back for snacks. Anything you fancy?"

Jesus. It was such a boyfriend thing to say that it gobsmacked him all over again, and he could only stare.

"Oi, you all right then? What'd I say?"

Shaking it off, he huffed something that wasn't quite a laugh. "Just... you're surprisingly good at this. I didn't think you'd done the relationship thing before."

But the kid brightened again, and he was going to have to stop being adorable at some point. It was just getting ridiculous now.

"I haven't. You really think I'm doing all right, then?"

Forcing his most droll look, he raised an eyebrow. "Chuck. It's been, like, five minutes."

Shaking his head, the giant dork opened the door. "Such an asshole, mate. Don't know why I put up with you."

_Do not smirk. Do not smirk._

"I hear I'm a pretty good fuck."

A slow Grinch smile spread over that handsome face. "You'll get no argument from me."

Dammit. He felt his face heat up and was powerless to stop it. "Weren't you going somewhere?"

The Grinch smile went surprisingly well with a slow wink, but the big jerk did, indeed, go, shutting the door behind him. Raleigh stood there a while longer, wondering what the fuck just happened and if it _had_ actually happened.

Chuck... was bisexual. Or at least bi-curious.

Chuck... wanted to try a relationship. With Raleigh, of all people.

Chuck wanted to laze around all evening, reading and snacking in bed.

After three days spent telling himself that nothing had changed, everything was fine, he did not miss a certain ginger asshole he rarely saw or spoke to anyway... this.

In fact, he was still standing there in the middle of the room like an idiot when Chuck came back in loose, well-worn sweats -- tracky dacks, apparently -- and a hoodie, juggling an armful of goodies and sodas from the cafeteria. The immediate fond exasperation on that freckled, adorable face put paid to any doubt.

He was dating Chuck Hansen. They had gone the most completely bass-ackwards way about it, but somehow, here they were.

"Chuck?"

"Seriously? Have you even moved, like, a step one way or the other?"

"You are a surprisingly good boyfriend."

Yup. Adorable as a happy puppy when he brightened like that. "Yeah? Well, it's only been, like, half an hour now, mate. Are we really gonna keep a time tally to my first fuck-up?"

_Do not grin. Do not grin._

"You did just not talk to me for three days."

"Oi, fuck, really? I'll never hear the end of that one, will I?"

_Stop smirking! You're ruining it!_

"Nope. When we're old and grey and telling the grandkids about how we saved the world and killed all the monsters--"

"Now we're lasting that long, eh? Optimistic much?"

"--I'll be sure to put in the part where you had a bad dream and I made it all better and you rewarded me by not speaking to me again."

"Un. Fucking. Believable."

"And the kids will all look at you like, 'Grandpa Chuck, how could you treat Grandpa Raleigh like--'"

The running kiss was sort of expected, and he smiled into it even as he tried to help save the snacks from jumping out of Chuck's arms. It was a nice enough way to shut him up, after all, so he didn't complain.

And when they'd settled at opposite ends of the bed, propped up with pillows, snacks close at hand, reading quietly with their legs tangled together, Raleigh couldn't help but be glad that, even when they were barely closer than enemies, Chuck had come to him for comfort over everyone else in the shatterdome. If he hadn't, neither of them would be here now, enjoying a quiet evening just... being together. Being close.

He hadn't felt close to anyone for such a long time. Mako had been inside his mind and was closer than a sister to him, but... that wasn't this.

Smiling softly, he looked up from his book and admired the view for a moment. Chuck was objectively handsome, for all that he'd been so perniciously dickish for so long, but now, he also looked... dear. Endearing, maybe. Just... different.

A good kind of different.

"Hey, Chuck?"

"Hm?"

"...Are you staying tonight?"

He wasn't asking for sex, although he wouldn't turn it down. He just... didn't want this to stop yet. Didn't want the closeness put to the test so soon. Didn't want to lie alone in bed and wonder if Chuck would really still talk to him in the morning.

And Chuck must have sensed it, because he looked up from his book and smiled just enough for dimples. "Not going anywhere, mate."

Yup. Warmth all through him.

Relieved and happier than he'd been in a long time, Raleigh nodded and returned his attention to his book.

"Good."

**THE END**


End file.
